The story of arguably the Vikings’ greatest homegrown talent will not have a happy ending.

Matt Birk, a St. Paul native who was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and a seven-time Vikings Man of the Year, signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday.

“I watched that kid come in, in 1998 out of Harvard, and he was a long shot to make the team,” said KFAN radio personality Mike Morris, who was the Vikings’ long-snapper from 1991 to 1999. “But he made the team, became an all-pro, and there hasn’t been a player in a long, long time to help the community like he did. It’s a hard story to come by in this league, in this day and age.

“So it’s just really disappointing to think he’s not going to be a Viking and finish a Viking.”

A sixth-round draft pick, Birk barely made the 1998 roster, when the 15-1 Vikings boasted one of the best teams in NFL history. But in 2000, after Pro Bowl center Jeff Christy signed a lucrative deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Birk was thrust into the starting lineup, earning an invite to the Pro Bowl at the end of the season.

The Vikings are probably hoping history repeats itself.

John Sullivan, a fifth-round pick last season out of Notre Dame, rises to the top of the depth chart to fill Birk’s spot. Ryan Cook, a second-round pick in 2006, has started most of the past two seasons at right tackle but played center at New Mexico. Starting right guard Anthony Herrera also could be an option.

The Vikings were interested in former Raven Jason Brown, who was the top free-agent center. But he signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the St. Louis Rams. With Birk off the board, the Vikings’ veteran options aren’t nearly as attractive. Duke Preston (Buffalo Bills) and Eric Ghiaciuc (Cincinnati Bengals) both have starting experience but aren’t considered elite players. Richie Incognito is a restricted free agent, and he would cost another club a third-round pick if it signs him away from the St. Louis Rams.

But whoever replaces Birk in Minnesota faces a daunting task.

“There are going to be big shoes to fill,” Vikings offensive lineman Artis Hicks said. “He’s a great player, and everyone knows he’s a great guy. He’s going to be missed.”

KFAN analyst Pete Bercich said Birk got “overpowered at times” and wasn’t an ideal fit for the team’s new blocking scheme.

“But he was still a pretty solid player, and at least you didn’t have to worry about mental errors,” Bercich said. “Replacing him is not going to be easy.”

In its current state, Bercich said, the Vikings’ offensive line is “average.”

“There could be a chain reaction,” said Bercich, a former Vikings player and coach.

Birk started every game for four consecutive seasons, until hip and hernia problems started to hamper him. He played in only 12 games in 2004 and 2005, but he played in all 16 games in each of the past three seasons.

Birk and Vikings coach Brad Childress never meshed, for reasons that aren’t exactly clear. That became evident when Birk skipped the team’s voluntary offseason program last year, to Childress’ chagrin. Then Childress said during the 2008 offseason that the team would see how Birk performs during the season before addressing his contract status.

That was counter to the proactive approach the Vikings used with defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams and linebacker E.J. Henderson.

“There’s been a rift there with the organization, specifically with Brad, for quite a while,” said Morris, a workout partner of Birk. “I never really understood it. Why Birk, of all people? But it is what it is.”

The Vikings never closed the door on Birk returning, but the club also wasn’t aggressive in retaining him.

In a team-issued statement, Childress thanked Birk for his contributions, on and off the field, and provided his spin on the situation.

“Matt has done a great job, and we wanted him to return to the Vikings in ’09, but at this point, Matt wanted a change of scenery,” Childress said. “We wish him the best and know that he will always be a part of the Vikings family.”

Birk was unavailable for comment Wednesday night. He will address reporters at a news conference in Baltimore today.

Birk will play at the Metrodome in 2009; the Ravens are slated to play the Vikings, though a date has not been determined.

As for Sullivan, veterans Bryant McKinnie and Hicks said he has showed his intelligence.

“He picked up on the offense very quickly,” Hicks said. “Charlie Weis ran a pro-style offense (at Notre Dame), so Sullivan was used to identifying defenses and where the (middle) linebacker is.

“He was taught well in colleges, so he had a head start over a lot of guys who didn’t have that advantage. He’s got a bright future.”

Still, McKinnie said he would need to adjust without Birk in the lineup.

“He was a Viking for a while — for my whole career — and it’ll seem weird the first couple of games without him,” McKinnie said. “But other people have to step up.”

Briefly: McKinnie’s hearing scheduled for today, related to his involvement in a brawl outside a Miami nightclub a year ago, was continued until March 16.

Childress left Wednesday evening to attend his son Andrew’s graduation from the Marine Corps.

Linebacker Heath Farwell visited the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday.

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